A basic set-up for such infusion, or vacuum infusion, methods is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. A component 2 composed of a base laminate 4 and an ancillary laminate 6, which is to be infiltrated with a resin, is placed on a tool 8 and covered by a flow promoter 10. The laminates 4, 6 consist of dry fibre-reinforced semi-finished products and are embodied as non-crimp fabrics (mats), knitted fabrics, woven fabrics, or similar. The flow promoter 10 serves to provide an even distribution of the resin in the directions of the length and width of the component 2 and is, for example, a knit or a mesh of, for example, polyester or polyamide. The component 2 and the flow promoter 18 are packaged in a vacuum bag (not shown), which is supported in a sealed manner on the tool 8 and which is evacuated via a suction device (not shown) close to the tool. The resin is fed via a sprue (not shown) of the flow promoter that is remote from the tool. In accordance with the resin flow direction indicated by the arrow the sprue is arranged in a left-hand region of the component, and the suction device in a right-hand region of the component.
With the feed of the resin a flow front 12 is formed, which impregnates the base laminate 4 in the thickness direction from left to right, wherein the resin in the vicinity of the flow promoter 10 runs ahead of the resin in the vicinity of the tool 8 somewhat, so that the flow front 12 is formed in the thickness direction at an inclined angle. In the vicinity of the ancillary laminate 6 a component, i.e. laminate, thickness modification is present, which, as shown in FIG. 2, leads to the fact that the resin is no longer stably distributed across the whole cross-section of the component 2, but is more severely retarded in the base laminate 4 remote from the flow promoter than in the ancillary laminate 6 close to the flow promoter, so that a kink 14 is formed, so to speak, in the flow front 12. As a result the risk exists that after the impregnation of the ancillary laminate 6 a porous area 16 may form in the base laminate 4 underneath the flow front 12, as shown in FIG. 3, which would significantly reduce the quality of the fibre composite component 2 to be manufactured.
In addition to the use of separate flow promoters, which are placed on the semi-finished product, i.e. on the component, it is likewise of known art from the applicant's application in DE 10 2007 013 987 A1 to integrate the flow promoter into the tool surface. However, even with this solution an even, stable distribution of the resin that is independent of the cross-section, i.e. the thickness, of the semi-finished product, cannot be reliably guaranteed.